On Sunday Sarah and I hopped into the car and took the short drive to Oakland to meet up with several folks from both Dust Bottoms Trail Runners and Shadowchase Running Club. We were meeting at the equestrian center in Anthony Chabot Regional Park, which I had never been to before. Turns out there are some really nice, quiet, beautiful places just outside of the craziness of the Bay Area!
The route we were running was a five mile loop, which was good because the group was comprised of runners of varying skill level. I opted to go for two loops, while Sarah and Sawyer (in the stroller) did an out-and-back on a wide trail with side trips to look at the horses.
The route started as a wide, dusty path with rolling hills and long periods of flat that wasn't particularly scenic. And even though the sun was out and it was a relatively warm January day, the winds were fierce and it started to get very chilly. However, after a mile or so, the trail makes a left hand turn and drops precipitously down into the canyon. After the steep descent, it was several miles of quiet, well-shaded trail that was a little more up my alley (although every now and then the silence was disrupted by the echoing sounds of gunshots from the shooting range!). The rest of the run is a net uphill, with it being gradual at first and then very steep at the end. Then it's back to the equestrian center and time to do it all over again.
On the whole, I felt good. Because I was a little sore from the previous days' activities, I was planning on going slow and steady, which gave me a good chance to chat with some of the other folks. There was a lot of waiting at turns to make sure no one got lost and a decent amount of hill walking (especially on the second loop). Ultimately, I finished the 10 miles in a smidgen over two hours.
Here are some photos:
The route we were running was a five mile loop, which was good because the group was comprised of runners of varying skill level. I opted to go for two loops, while Sarah and Sawyer (in the stroller) did an out-and-back on a wide trail with side trips to look at the horses.
The route started as a wide, dusty path with rolling hills and long periods of flat that wasn't particularly scenic. And even though the sun was out and it was a relatively warm January day, the winds were fierce and it started to get very chilly. However, after a mile or so, the trail makes a left hand turn and drops precipitously down into the canyon. After the steep descent, it was several miles of quiet, well-shaded trail that was a little more up my alley (although every now and then the silence was disrupted by the echoing sounds of gunshots from the shooting range!). The rest of the run is a net uphill, with it being gradual at first and then very steep at the end. Then it's back to the equestrian center and time to do it all over again.
On the whole, I felt good. Because I was a little sore from the previous days' activities, I was planning on going slow and steady, which gave me a good chance to chat with some of the other folks. There was a lot of waiting at turns to make sure no one got lost and a decent amount of hill walking (especially on the second loop). Ultimately, I finished the 10 miles in a smidgen over two hours.
Here are some photos:
It ended up being a really fun trip to get some miles in, and I was glad we made the drive. I always like discovering new places. Sarah and Sawyer also had a lot of fun, especially with the horses. And because it was Dusty Bottoms, you know there was beer afterwards at the First Street Alehouse in Livermore!